Adam responded to the S.H.I.E.L.D call out early. It took him an hour to drive out to DC. He was hardly surprised that directions to their supposed location. It was a Head Quarters he hadn't been brought to before. He thought there was only one since public aspects of the government got involved after that second Civil War. Adam had no problems moving passed different parts of the building. He moved to the back of the normal looking office building. He didn't have a problem until an older man stopped him.

"Hey now, you can't be back there," he said. Adam sighed.

"I'm supposed to be here, Sir," he answered with a slight impatience. The older man whose name tag read Stan Lee still didn't seem happy.

"It's restricted access." Adam pulled out his phone and let him go through the S.H.I.E.L.D messages on it. It's not like the man wasn't being obvious enough about the location of it. "Ah," he said finally, "follow me."

Eventually Adam found himself in a half sunken warehouse. It looked broken and shattered on the outside, but more high-tech and pimped out than ever on the interior.

"Consider me impressed," Adam muttered.

"That was the idea," said the brunette woman Adam recognized from her work as a liaison for the Avengers.

"Agent Hill? This thing was your idea?" He said casually. Maria picked up a glass tablet and shook her head. She motioned to the round table off to the side of the main room.

"I can't take the credit. No," she responds.

"Credit," Adam resounds, "this particular venture hasn't even begun yet. Can't really count it as a success." Maria grins ever so slightly.

"Not really a child anymore are we?" Then it was Adam's turn to grin.

"Not at all, but why don't we skip these circles and games and get to the real matter at hand," Adam suggests carefully. He can see through all these facade's. Maria tilts her head slightly and hums.

"Interesting.. So, the seven candidates have already been contacted, S.H.I.E.L.D will be contacting them in person to-"

"No," Adam said over her, Maria looked incredulous, "a bunch of suits approaching nervous, insecure, scared kids won't go over well. It would be better if someone more relate able reached out to them."

"You mean you, correct?" Maria said with an unreadable tone. Adam nodded and stood his ground with his new found confidence. "This isn't procedure."

"Neither were the Avengers," Adam added, "and that was one of S.H.I.E.L.D's greatest success'. Let's not waste time with this because I can clearly see my name on the top of that list," Adam says pointing to the glass pad in Maria's hands, "and if you want anything from me except for trouble I will get my way on this particular one."

"Are you threatening me, Mr. Foster?" Maria asked with a rough edge to her voice.

"Of course not," Adam said with a smirk as he leaned back in his chair. Maria hummed and slid the tablet across the table to him.

"Then by all means. On this particular one, but that's it."

"We'll see," Adam shot back as he picked up the glass tablet, eyes trained on the various virtual files.

Maria Hill, instead of being angry and him, looking very curious. There was something oddly different about Adam these days. Maybe it was just maturity from age. No there was something else. A strange kind of peace or understanding. Maria wasn't sure if Adam could forget so easily about what the other, public, governmental S.H.I.E.L.D put him up to.

"These..." Adam began, interrupting Maria's various, in-depth thoughts, "These kids are all in High School."

"Correct," Maria answered with a gentle nod. She couldn't tell whether Adam was appalled or agreed. His expression stayed oddly impartial from a kid who used to show everything on his face and wear his heart on his sleeve.

"I was just expecting these potential candidates would be closer to my age."

"They won't be considered mission ready for years. It's a six year project," Maria answered simply. Adam paused for a moment and then nodded.

"What's the lie you're telling this time?"

"Excuse me?" Maria questioned, quirking an eyebrow and expecting an argument. She was even more surprised with the young man when one never came.

"I meant the story that I'm expected to tell their parent's. From these files, I doubt some of them have the mentality to understand this stuff as much as their kids might."

"Really?" Maria says dryly.

"Meta-Humans," Adam began gently, careful to explain it all, "well, the emotional baggage that comes with having, controlling and hiding powers. You have to have had a some degree of mental toughness to make it through High School with all that."

"I see," Maria said, leaning back in her chair, finally feeling that no sudden tension would sneak up into the conversation or situation. It all, almost strangely, seemed very relaxed. "I suppose that would make sense since various cases and studies show that the strongest manifestation of enhanced abilities are usually found in teenagers." Adam hummed shortly in short addition to the conversation.

"So it's settled then," he said a moment later.

"So it is," Maria said standing up and holding her hand out for Adam to shake, "welcome to the real S.H.I.E.L.D, Mr. Foster. They way it's suppose to be." Adam took her extended hand and smiled shortly, but it was so easy to force.


These codes, the shields. They couldn't possibly be offline and without any trace of anything? It was just... too strange, too random. The humanoid pondered this for quite a while. It should have been very alarming, but yet he didn't sense an immediate threat.

"Humanity will fall," the other assured, "I said it from the start."

"No, you're wrong," the Vision persists again. He knows the other laughs at him.

"You've become blind. You're just like them." Vision ignores him as instead continues to contemplate. "How is this? Like them you're lost."

"Lost," Vision resounds, "a subjective term. They're not a lost cause they've just lost...hope." The other was then struck with sickening amusement.

"The Avengers. Voted down for good measure.

"So says you," Vision protests, "you only could ever envision them gone. You never once looked to the another path. This can work; what S.H.I.E.L.D has."

"But will it?"

"Bringing people like this together worked before," Vision said, looking towards the old A insignia.

"Once before," the other added lowly.

"And you would attempt to find some way to stop me?" Vision very nearly challenges.

"Oh no," the other declares with wicked amusement and raped attention, "I contend to watch you destroy yourself.. and this world." Vision let's out a genuine grin as he arises from his seat. He brushes his hand over the silver A.

"Time will tell."

~Episode Ending~